The stability of the country can be achieved when it is developed in various spheres of life. In this respect, it is necessary to admit that the level of poverty is evaluated in different countries in terms of how the state power provides reforms in social, educational, economic, or political domains of peoples’ lives. This is why a lack of a strong and rational approach toward all sides of the issue is appropriate in the developed countries. The United States with its strong position in the world arena is not an exclusion and seems to be weak in making its citizens supplied and supported with everything necessary for life. The paper is intended to work out the problem of poverty existing in the US so that to analyze the factors which contribute to the issue of such negative characteristics in social life. The analysis deals with such sides as economic, governmental, and religious features. Furthermore, the flow of the thought development touches upon possible suggestions in order to diminish the rates of poverty in the so-called wealthy and influential countries of the world.
First of all, it is vital to have some glimpses at the current policy-making of the American government. External relations became more vital for the dynamics of the relationship of the country. This is why the internal development props up against only projects for making solutions for the society in terms of poverty. In this case, such initiatives should also go through a difficult bureaucratic procedure of adaptation and then no one knows whether it will improve the situation. There appears a supposition that the US is too busy to make concerns about the problem. Most of the officials would say that there were typical and proper reforms adopted earlier and the Welfare Reform Bill of 1996 with its mere fewer consequences for the society. In accordance with a state structure and its bilateral character of state power, there is a fair question of why people in America are still struggling from poverty. It is a paradox for the observers, in fact.
On the other hand, it is important to realize what layers of the society are placed at the level of poverty or even lower. In this respect, it is obvious that the United States, as a so-called ‘melting pot’, is full of people from Latin America and other countries searching for living in the country. There are many obstacles that make the process of employment too difficult. It concerns the issue of following the correct procedure and rejections of employers to pay attention to somebody with a tarnished reputation. Iceland (2006) shows a particular comparison statistics as of poverty rates in the US and European countries noting: “Even when using the US absolute poverty threshold, the American poverty rate still surpasses those in many European countries, despite the fact that the United States’ gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is significantly higher” (136). Looking at such outrageous data there is a fair question: What is wrong with the country and its government? The thing is that, perhaps, the life of Americans is lacking government transfers into spheres of social guarantees, education, and employment. Moreover, it may be concerned also with an uncertain picture of the state’s market incomes.
The welfare dilemma of the United States points out the fact, which according to Segalman and Basu (1981) state that “despite the fact that in a market of potential employment opportunities the unskilled wage-earners in a large family can probably not earn as much as they are entitled to on a welfare grant” (81). In this respect, the government still is not able to make some changes in the social approach toward a problem of grants for large and poor families living mostly in slums. The political outlook on this problem is outlined as a process of not only one year. Such pretexts leave no place for peoples’ beliefs.
There is now growing ideological convergence on what it takes to end poverty. Liberals and conservatives agree that ending poverty is about both personal behaviors and rewards to work; about both values and economics. Ending poverty requires opportunities for wealth creation as well as income support, empowerment as well as transfer payments (Spriggs, 2007).
There is a hot discussion about the prospects of poverty, but no direct actions toward the way of its solutions. Furthermore, in the economic component of national growth, there is a problem with healthcare services. Since the adoption of Clinton’s Healthcare Program, the publicity has had huge problems in the domain of medical insurance. Poor people are not allowed to financial fulfill the problem. Contemporary Obama’s administration attempts to improve the situation, but still, there are no weighty movements toward improvements. It is an obvious fact when poor women do not have the possibility to provide their children with appropriate treatment in hospitals. It is due to no medical insurance. Furthermore, it is a direct violation of doctors’ oath to serve human ideals. In reality, it reminds a demonstration of money’s power over humanity. Thus, the government should provide reforms in terms of making some special donations or programs to support the weakest layer of society.
A fragmented character of state power being centralized in a form of a federal outline of the country and its division into states makes more points for people to distrust different attitudes of the government toward their problems with poverty in a definite state. That is why people are apt to feel more support from other individuals and charity organizations, than from the government. The religious aspect plays a great role in this part of the discussion. The protestant churches, in particular, ground their social work and activity on making more ways to improve poor peoples’ lives giving them lodging for the night and food. Moreover, believers give people also their attention and care so needful for human beings.
Stating social objectives it is necessary to admit that it is possible for the government to accept special bills for making economic costs in favor of poor people improved. In fact, the index of employment in the USA will directly be reflected in the stability of the national currency. Iceland (2006) in this respect writes: “Markets often enhance risk, while government transfers programs, particularly social insurance ones, are meant to reduce risks” (138). This outline of all parties being influential in terms of poverty decrease still seems to have no positive movement.
To sum up, the situation with poverty in the United States is rather a striking objective to disgrace previous and current state power in an inability to make the life of Americans with more priorities in terms of social guarantees and improvements. From all, economic, political, social, points of view, the situation still reminds a paradoxical stop in internal relationships for the US.
References
Iceland, J. (2006). Poverty in America: a handbook (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Segalman, R. and Basu, A. (1981). Poverty in America: The Welfare Dilemma. New York: Greenwood Press.
Spriggs, W. E. (2007). ‘The Changing Face of Poverty in America: Why Are So Many Women, Children, Racial and Cultural Minorities Still Poor?’. The American Prospect, Vol. 18.